Living in the South West not too many invites for events come my way so I was delighted to be able to attend this one. It was for the Luminarium at Taurus Crafts, Gloucestershire. It also offered the chance for me to tweet up with The Boy and Me and Jenny Paulin who are both lovely and we all enjoyed a fabulous day today together with our children.
So what is the Luminarium? Well its a huge inflatable walk (100 square meters) in sculpture which is filled with light to create a magical and beautiful stained glass window effect. It is labyrinthine like with tunnels to discover, central pillars, caves and pods. Quite difficult to describe but pretty amazing actually. Visitors are encouraged to relax, wonder and explore. I did do some video footage but am not at home with access to my usual video editing software. I might have to add it in later. In the meantime here is the official video link telling you all about it:
Luminarium, Taurus Crafts from Bridget on Vimeo.
Quite funky, I think you will agree. From the outside it looks rather like a bouncy castle and we did need to remove our shoes. When you first step in to it the light and colour look amazing, it really was quite beautiful. However, the heat hit us too which was not so good. It was boiling. If you are planning to go, try not to pick a day as gorgeous as today, it was 23 degrees and like a sauna in there. We still had a good time but it was not really the relaxing atmosphere they aim for.
Here are a few photos to share with you:
After visiting the structure I managed to speak to Alan Parkinson, the designer. He told me that he has been designing these structures for approx 26 years and that they have made over 500 exhibitions in 37 countries. Pretty amazing really. Originally designed for children with special needs, they continue to be enjoyed by a broad audience, including the elderly and those with learning difficulties. Its not difficult to see why they might enjoy and benefit from this whole sensory experience.
The Luminarium Levity is located at Taurus Crafts, Lydney in the beautiful Forest of Dean from now until 31st July. Not your usual craft centre this is also a social enterprise so therefore the perfect place to host this event. I managed to speak to the lovely Manager, Elizabeth who told me all about the valuable work they do and what they offer:
If you want to visit the luminarium, it costs £3 per person or £10 for a family ticket (either 1 adult & 3 children or for 2 adults & 2 children).
We thoroughly enjoyed our day out and although I was not asked to write a blog post, I wanted to share with you the experience. I would definitely say it was well worth a visit.
If you want to visit the luminarium, it costs £3 per person or £10 for a family ticket (either 1 adult & 3 children or for 2 adults & 2 children).
We thoroughly enjoyed our day out and although I was not asked to write a blog post, I wanted to share with you the experience. I would definitely say it was well worth a visit.
Karen x
